Abstract/Description

Notes

Contagious Bovine Pleuro-Pneumonia (CBPP)
Cue:
Contagious Bovine Pleuro-Pneumonia, or CBPP, is one of the most serious diseases affecting cattle in the tropics. The disease causes damage to the lungs, making breathing painful and difficult. In the early stages cattle develop a cough and a fever. As the lungs become more damaged, the animal may stand with its head extended, in an attempt to reduce the difficulty and pain of breathing.
The disease is spread in droplets coughed up by the sick animal. Nearby cattle are at risk of inhaling these droplets. Normally around half the animals that catch CBPP die within a few days or weeks. Of those that recover, many remain carriers of the disease, and although they have no visible symptoms can pass the infection to others. While CBPP can be treated, animals that have recovered from infection can remain as carriers of the disease. For this reason, prevention is the best approach. Daniel Sikazwe recently spoke to Dr Frederick Banda, District Veterinary Officer for Mongu district in Zambia, about attempts made to control CBPP in the district, where outbreaks have been occurring in recent years. Daniel began by asking which breeds of cattle are susceptible to the disease.
IN: ?Contagious Bovine Pleuro-Pneumonia ?
OUT: ?.You are welcome.?
DUR?N 4?13?
BACK ANNOUNCEMENT: Daniel Sikazwe was talking to Dr Frederick Banda, District Veterinary Officer for Mongu district in Zambia.
Transcript
Banda Contagious Bovine Pleuro-Pneumonia, like the name says, is a disease of bovines. Bovine in this case is cattle. So all the breeds of cattle are susceptible. But here we are talking of our traditional cattle, mainly it is the barotse breed we have. We also have a few crosses, like the boran crosses. But in terms of being susceptible, they are all the same, there isn?t any difference really, so to speak.
Sikazwe Are there any indigenous methods of controlling this disease? I ask so because some of these farmers, small scale farmers, may not have the latest technology or the latest chemicals to fight the disease?
Banda CBPP is basically a disease of movement. Once an infected animal moves from one kraal to another, then it will spread the disease. So one of the measures that we could use to prevent the spread or to reduce the spread is by putting stringent measures, that animals should not mix, and that the movement of animals should be strictly controlled. On the other hand the vaccine itself is not charged for. The government is providing the vaccination free of charge to the farmer; the farmer doesn?t pay anything.
Sikazwe Are there any extension services or education for small scale farmers, especially with regard to the movement with cattle in this area?
Banda Yes, in the beginning what happened was we put a ban on cattle moving, but we had a problem because the biggest abattoir in this province happens to be in Mongu. So animals from Kalabo, Lukulu and these other districts will have to travel, to be trekked on hoof to Mongu district, that is for slaughter, and in the process you find that the mixing of cattle as they move in these trade routes, is quite rampant. That?s actually why we got this disease, because cattle were being moved to be slaughtered in Mongu district. So we find that as a district we are really at the centre of all this outbreak.
Sikazwe It is something that is traditionally done in this province, to move cattle from one area to another. What are you telling the farmers out there, the small scale ones, about the dangers of moving their cattle?
Banda The message to the farmers really, is that apart from the vaccination, so that at least their cattle are protected ? of course the protection is not 100% - we also encourage them not to be mixing their animals. We know it is a tradition that animals have to be moved, especially in the floodplain. At one time of the year you find there is a lot of water, the animals have to move. But then we are encouraging these farmers, so that a group of animals should not be seen to mix with any other. And it is possible because we have vast grazing land here, and also watering points; we don?t have a problem with water in Mongu as a district.
Sikazwe Is there something very important connected to CBPP and the people?s livelihoods and probably what you are doing here that I have not asked about, that you would want to strongly add as we end the interview?
Banda What I would say is that, initially when we started the vaccinations, we used to get a lot of resistance from the farmers: people we refusing to have their animals vaccinated. But over the years, like I say, experience is the best teacher; a lot of people are now co-operating. And we would like to thank the Barotse Royal Establishment for their help in sensitising the people. We are fighting this disease together. Currently we have the Livestock Development Trust, funded by DANIDA, carrying out vaccinations in the whole district of Mongu. We are almost coming to the end of the first phase of the vaccinations, it is a two year project.
Sikazwe I know that was supposed to be my last question, but after you have said there was a lot of resistance from small scale farmers, I?m tempted to ask whether there were any reasons, especially those that are traditional, for these small scale farmers to resist vaccinations or drugs?
Banda In this case we are talking of a vaccine. When we initially started vaccinating, we used to have reactors ? reactors in this sense to the vaccination. So a few, a small percentage of cattle were reacting; at the injection site; they were getting some swellings, and people felt that that was maybe not a good drug. But with the extension we are able to talk to the people, now they realise the importance of the vaccine. And again on the other hand, some cattle have been vaccinated in the last six years, so they are used to the vaccine.
Sikazwe Dr Banda thank you so much for your time.
Banda You are welcome. End of track.